PhotoVoice - Photo journals report (2018)Photovoice is an innovative participatory action research...
Transcript of PhotoVoice - Photo journals report (2018)Photovoice is an innovative participatory action research...
Photovoice Research
Food and Eating Habits in the Cuncani Community
NexosComunitarios©2018
AbstractPhotovoiceisaninnovativeparticipatoryactionresearchmethodologywhereindividualsusephotographytoidentifyandaddresstheirsocialissuesintheircommunity.TheobjectiveofthisstudywastodocumentanduncovertherealityofthefoodenvironmentsandeatinghabitsofchildreninsmallisolatedcommunitiesofthePeruvianAndes.Datawascollectedfromeightstudentsinsixthgradeofthelocalschool.Theresultsshowedthatthemajorityofmealsconsistedofaccessiblelocalcropssuchaspotatoesandmeatfromsheep,suggestingalackofvarietyoffoodwithinthecommunity.Thestudyalsoportraystheimagesoffoodandthesurroundingenvironmenttogainadeeperinsightoftheirdailyconsumptioninthecommunityanditsrelationshiptothecurrenthealthconditionofthecommunity.ThisstudywasconductedandwrittenbyKenjiMisawaofNexosComunitariosNexosComunitarios2018Urubamba–CuscoElectronicVersion.Peru.
TableofContents
Abstract.............................................................................................................................1
Abbreviation......................................................................................................................1
Glossary.............................................................................................................................1
Acknowledgement.............................................................................................................2
NexosComunitarios...........................................................................................................3
Introduction......................................................................................................................4
Methodology.....................................................................................................................5Context......................................................................................................................................5Procedure..................................................................................................................................6
Result&Finding................................................................................................................8I) Enablepeopletodocumentandsharetheirlifecircumstancesandexperiences................9
Children’sEatingHabits................................................................................................................9Realityoffoodenvironmentinthecommunity..........................................................................10
II) Facilitatepublicdialogueandknowledgeofcommunities’socialissues...........................11LackofFoodVariety....................................................................................................................11LimitedFoodAccess....................................................................................................................14
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................15Lessonslearned..............................................................................¡Error!Marcadornodefinido.What’sNext?...........................................................................................................................16
Bibliography....................................................................................................................17
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AbbreviationsNCNexosComunitariosNGONon-profitGovernmentalOrganizationPARParticipatoryActionResearch
Glossary CommunityDevelopmentTheprocessofcommunitymemberscomingtogethertotakecollectiveactionandgeneratepositivesocialimpactforthecommunityortogeneratesolutionsforcommonproblems.DataInformationgainedthroughtheresearchprocess.InPhotovoice,datareferstoalltheavailableinformationextractedfromthephysicalphotosandwordsdescribingtheirphotos.PhotoJournalsHand-madepaperbookletscreatedbytheparticipantsofPhotovoicecontainingphotosoftheirdailyfood.Theobjectiveofthejournalistoillustratetheireatinghabitsthroughthecapturedphotos.HumanDevelopmentTheprocessofenlargingpeople’sfreedomsandopportunitiesandofimprovingtheirwell-being.FreePriorInformedConsentAstandardtoprotectindigenousrightstoself-determinationandrighttoparticipate.Agreementtodosomethingbasedonhavingalltheknowledgeandinformationofthepotentialrisksandbenefits.MarginalizedGroupGroupofindividualsthatareexcludedfromsocietyandhavelimitedaccesstoresourcesandparticipationtodecision-makingprocessesandsystems.ParticipatoryActionResearchAcollaborativeresearchmethod,whichentailsthecollective,selfinquiryeffortoftheparticipantstoidentifytheirexistingsocialissueswithascopetoincreasetheircontrolovertheirlivesandimproveoverallsocialcondition.Photovoice
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PARmethodthatinvolvesphotographyanddialogueasameansforthemarginalizedgroupofpeopletodeepentheirunderstandingoftheircommunityissuesandconcerns.
AcknowledgementThecreationofphotojournalsin2017isthenotableaccomplishmentofthePhotovoicemethodologyadoptedbyNC.Toreachthispoint,wehavegonethroughmanychallenges,wherewegainedvaluableexperienceandsufficientadaptationskills.Withoutourcontinuouscommitmentandeffortinthepast,thisPhotovoicereportwouldnothavebeenpossible.Therefore,NCwouldliketorecognizeallthemembersofourstaff,formerinterns,andvolunteerswhohavecontributedtothedevelopmentofPhotovoiceupuntilnow.AllthestudentparticipantsfromthelocalschoolofCuncaniearnedourdeepestappreciationfortheiractiveparticipationandengagementinPhotovoice.WewouldalsoliketogiveanimmensethankyoutoalltheparentsofparticipantsandthelocalschoolofCuncanifortheirsupportandunderstanding.ItisourhopetocontinuedevelopingPhotovoicemethodologyinaimstocollectivelyenhancethecommunity’ssocialconditionsinthefuture.
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NexosComunitarios1NexosComunitarios(NC)isaPeruviannon-profitcivilassociation,formedbyagroupofcitizensandprofessionalscommittedtoreducingpovertyinisolatedcommunitieswithinPeru.Inaddition,NCpromotesabetterunderstandingandtruerespectbetweendifferentsocietiesandcultures,nationallyandinternationally.Since2013,NChasbeenworkingwiththeAndeancommunity,Cuncani2,promotingcommunitydevelopmentfollowingNC’sdevelopmentmodelfocusedonhealth,educationandeconomicempowerment.RecognizingCuncani’shardships,oneofwhichismalnutrition,NChasbeenoverseeingandimplementingaseriesofprojectswithanaimtoimprovethenutritionofthechildrenresidents.Insufficientnutrientscanhinderthechildrenfromproperdevelopment,acquisitionofnewskillsand/oropportunitiesforfuturegrowth.
AsanextensiontoourhealthimprovementprojectssuchastheschoolLunchProgramandSustainableHomesProject,NChasadoptedthePhotovoiceapproachtosearchfornewknowledgeandinformationtosolvemalnutritioninthecommunity.ThePhotovoicetoolallowsustoobtainbetterunderstandingoftheirdailyfoodthroughtheeyesofchildren,whileempoweringtherightsofchildren’sfreedomofexpression.NChasbeenkeepsitscommitmenttocombatpovertyinthemarginalizedsocietieswithinthecountry.
1Visithttp://www.nexos.org.pe/.2Visithttps://vimeo.com/169644249
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IntroductionChildhealthconditionsaredirectlylinkedtotheirdietandfoodenvironment.Especially,inmarginalizedcommunitieslikeCuncani,wheremalnutritionhasbeenamajorproblem,gatheringdatawithregardstofoodiscrucial.Nonetheless,acquiringinformationsurroundingeatinghabitsisoftendifficult.Confrontingthischallenge,NChasappliedthePhotovoicemethodwiththeaimtogatherthiskeyinformationfromthehandsofchildren.ThisinnovativePARmethodhasappealedtochildren’sinterestandhassuccessfullyengagedtheparticipantstosharetheirperspectivesaboutfoodenvironmentandeatinghabits.EightstudentsingradesixfromthelocalCuncanischoolhaveparticipatedinthisPhotovoicemethod.Theresearchisdesignedforthestudentstocapturetheirdailyfoodwithacameraandtocreatetheirownuniquephotojournal.Withthoroughtrainingandworkshopsessions,participantshavecompletedtheirfoodjournalsandhaveexpressedtheirvoicethroughtheirphotos.Thispaperanalyzesdatafromtwoanglestofulfillitsobjectiveofinformationgathering.Itfirstassessesdatacollectedfromtheinterviewswithstudentsandfromthestoriesbehindtheircapturedphotos.Itprovidesfirsthandgenuineperspectivesoftheirfoodthroughtheeyesofchildren.Furthermore,thisstudyalsoprovidesaquantitativedataanalysisofallthephotostakenbytheparticipants.Ithelpstogainaclearerpictureoftheirfoodenvironmentinthecommunity.Integrateddataanalysisrevealedthemajorpatternsoffoodconsumptionatthehouseholdlevel.Themostcommonlyconsumedingredientswerepotatoes,riceandmeat.Itconcludedthatthecommunitylackedsufficientaccesstoawidervarietyoffood,especiallyfruitandvegetablesinthehouse.Ultimately,theresultallowedNCtodevelopanewlunchprogramtocombatmalnutrition.Overall,theobservationofthisresearchhasshownPhotovoiceasaneffectiveresearchmethodtogathervaluableinsightwithregardstotheirdailydiet.Atthesametime,itcanbeusedtohelpinformfutureresearchwithchildrentogainabetterunderstandingaboutthefoodenvironmentandeatinghabits.WeareenthusiasticaboutourPhotovoiceapproachinCuncani,andwanttoshareourdiscoveriestoinformandsparkinterestincommunity-basedresearchtoothersandopenthegatewayforthecommunitytorecognizethechallengeandtranslatethisintoaction.
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MethodologyPhotovoiceisaground-breakingapproachofParticipatoryActionResearch(PAR)methodologythatallowstheresearchedpersontoconveytheirreal-lifeexperienceofthecommunitywiththeuseofphotos.Photojournalismisadoptedtodevelopfurtherresearchonthespecificsocialissuesofmarginalizedgroupsfromthecommunity.ThisdesignisspecificallydrawnfromWangandBurris’pioneeringworkofusingphotographyinPAR.3 TherearethreegoalsofPhotovoice:
1) Enablepeopletodocumentandsharetheirlifecircumstancesandexperiences2) Facilitatepublicdialogueandknowledgeofcommunities’socialissues3) Shareinformationwithcommunityandreachkey-policymakerstobringsocial
change.THREEGOALS
ThepurposeofPhotovoiceistoallowparticipantstodeterminethesocialissuesintheirenvironmentthroughexpressionofphotographyandconvertintosocialaction.Context ThebeautyofPhotovoiceisitswiderangeofadaptability.Itprovidesplentyofroomforflexibility.Basedonitsframework,themethodologyandfocuscanvarydependingoneachsettingandpurposeofresearch.Despitethedifferences,everyPhotovoiceprojectsharestheimpactfulsimilarityofrevealingrealitiesandempoweringmarginalizedindividuals.4 3Wang,C.,andBurris,M.(1997).Photovoice:Concept,methodology,anduseofparticipatoryneedsassessment.HealthEducationandBehavior,24(3),369-387.4Palibroda,B.,Krieg,B.,Murdock,L.,andHavelock,J.(2009).ApracticalguidetoPhotovoice:sharingpictures,tellingstoriesandchangingcommunities.Retrievedfrom
Enable people to document and share their life circumstances and experiences
Facilitate public dialogue and knowledge of communities’ social issues
Share information with community and reach key-policy makers to bring social change
III
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InthecaseofCuncani,NCdesignedPhotovoicetotargetthehealthissueofthecommunity.CuncaniisasmallvillagelocatedinthemiddleoftheremoteAndeansregionwithahighaltitudeofapproximately4000metersabovethesealevel.Althoughthecommunitypreservesauniquetraditionalwayofliving,itssegregatedlocationlimitsthemfromreceivingadequategovernmentaidandaccesstoessentialinfrastructuresintheirvillage,suchasamarketorhealthclinic.Duetotheirlifecircumstances,malnutritionamongstchildrenhavebeenapersistentissueinthecommunity.
NChaspaidspecialattentiontousePhotovoiceasamethodtogainbetterunderstandingofdailyeatinghabitsthroughtheeyesofchildren,whichmaycontributetodiscovercluesrelatedtocurrenthealthstatusofthecommunity.Whileitallowedthechildrentofreelyexpresstheirvoiceusingcameras,andsupporttheirself-development,ittacklesthepersistentsocialchallengeofmalnutritioninthecommunity.OnesignificantadvantageofusingPhotovoiceinCuncaniisthat,unlikeothertraditionalresearchmethodology,whereinterviewsandsurveyswerecommonlyused,thePhotovoicemethodologyallowsNCtoobtainresultswhilerespectingthecommunity’sengagementandfreedomofexpression.Theoutcomeismuchmoremeaningfulasitexhibitsphysicalimagesofthemealsservedintheirhomes.Itovercomesthelimitationoftraditionalresearchmethodologieswheretherepresentativeofthehouseholdmayprovidefaultyinformation.Inaddition,thedesignofPhotovoiceconstructsahorizontalrelationshipbetweenthefacilitatorandtheparticipants,andintroductionofcamerassparkschildren’sinterestandenjoymentinphotography.Photovoice’sembeddedfocusonempowerment,innovativedesignandsocialinclusionhasgreatlyappealedtoNCasanexcellentresearchmethodologyforongoingcommunitydevelopment.Procedure NChasappliedPhotovoiceapproachwitheightstudentsingrade6.Learningfromthepreviousexperience,wedecidedonanagegroupwhohaveshownasufficientcomprehensiveskilltounderstandthepurposeofthemethodology,andabilitytoproperlyusecameras.Aftermuchplanning,adjusting,andcoordinationwiththelocalschooltheprojectwascarriedoutfromOctobertoDecemberof2017.Priortoimplementation,studentsandparentswereprovidedafreepriorinformedconsenttoparticipateinPhotovoice.Simplelanguagewasusedtoensurethattheyfullyunderstoodthepurposeofthemethodologyanditsexpectedoutcome.Childrenandtheirparentswereinformedthattheirparticipationwasonavoluntarybaseandtheyweregiventheoptiontowithdrawfromtheprojectatanytimeifevertheywished.Withourpurposetoprotectindividual’sprivacy,allparticipantsremainedanonymousinthefinalreport. http://www.pwhce.ca/Photovoice/pdf/Photovoice_Manual.pdf
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TheresearchassignmentforeachparticipantwastocreatetheirownPhotoJournalasafinalproducttodemonstratetheireatinghabitsinthecommunitybasedonthephotosoffoodthattheytook.Photojournalexhibitstheimagesoffoodeachparticipanttook,conveyingtothereaderwhattypeoffoodtheyeatonaregularbasis.TheworkshopstookplaceregularlyonMondaywhenfacilitatorsvisitedthecommunitytomonitorandsupervisetheprocess.Alltherequiredresourcestomakefoodjournalssuchasfourdigitalcameras,colorpapers,andprintedcopiesofcapturedphotoswerepreparedinUrubambawhereNC’sofficeisbased.Thefirststepoftheprojectwastoprovidesufficienttrainingtoequipthechildrentobecomecomfortableinusingcamerasandtocreatetheirownfoodjournals.CreatingasafeandengagingenvironmentwithchildreninthetrainingsessionwasessentialtosuccessfullyadoptingthePhotovoiceapproach.Mostparticipantsdemonstratedagenuinecuriositytousecameras.Afterthesession,childrenweregiventhecameratotakepicturesoffoodforanassignedweek.Astherewereonlyfourfunctionalcameras,participantstookturnstousethecameras.Oncealltheparticipantshadtakenphotos,thefacilitatorprintedallthephotosandhandedthemtoeachstudent.Aseachstudentcreatedtheirphotojournal,thefacilitatorthenaskedquestionsandledconversationswiththeparticipantstoexpresstheirthoughtsandinsightregardingtheirphotos.
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Results&Findings FollowingthethreegoalsofPhotovoice,wecollecteddataandidentifiedresultsaccordingtoeachcategory.Informalconversationsbetweenfacilitatorandparticipantsandquantitativeanalysisofcapturedphotosbythechildrenwerebothappliedintheprocessofdeterminingandexaminingtheresult.
I) EnablepeopletodocumentandsharelifecircumstancesandexperienceCreationofphotojournalshaveledtheparticipantstoshareanddemonstratetheirdaytodayeatinghabitsinthefamilies.Also,storiesbehindthephotostakenhaveopeneduptheconversationofrevealingtherealityoffoodenvironmentinthesmallAndeancommunity.
II) Facilitatepublicdialogueandknowledgeofcommunities’socialissues Discussionaroundthedailyfoodconsumptionhasnaturallyevolvedintotheconversationofrevisitingtheproblemfoodsecurity.Here,participantshaveassociatedtheircurrenteatinghabitswiththeproblemoflackoffoodvarietyandlimitedfoodaccessinthecommunity.
III) Shareinformationwithcommunityandreachkey-policymakerstobringsocialchange
TheresultofthePhotovoiceisstillintheprocessofreachingthekey-policymakersinthecommunity.Nonetheless,ithasreemphasizedtheimportanceofthedailyintakeofthechildrenandtheledourorganizationtostepuponceagainourlaunchoftheschoollunchprogramasakeycombatantofmalnutritionamongchildrenofCuncani.
II
Enable people to document and share their life circumstances and experiences
Facilitate public dialogue and knowledge of communities’ social issues
Share information with community and reach key-policy makers to bring social change III
I • Children’s Eating Habits
• Reality of Food Environment in the Community
• Lack of Food variety • Limited Food Access
• New Lunch Program
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I) Enable people to document and share their life circumstances and experiences
Children’s Eating Habits Theresultofphotojournalsshedlightonhighlightingtraditionaldietaryhabitsinthecommunity.ThisTABLEIillustratesoneoftheparticipant’smealsfortheweekdescribedinthefoodjournal.Thisfoodjournalofaparticipantgivesusagreatdealofdetailoftheeatinghabitsduringtheweek.TABLEI Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
Breakfast Tea Soup Tea TeaQuinoa
Tea Tea Tea
Lunch Tea Tea SoupRice
PotatoTomatoOnion
MeatPotato
SoupPastaPotatoCheeseCornCelery
EggRicePasta
Dinner PastaPotatoEgg
SoupPotatoPasta
SoupRicePotatoTomato
RiceMeat
SoupRicePasta
SoupTomatoPotato
SoupPotato
FIGUREIII
Overall,photostakenbythechildrendemonstratedistinctsimilaritiesintheirdailymeals.Inthemorning,mostofthechildrenhadbread,corn,potatoesandfruitwithmilktea(SeeFIGUREIII).Becausepotatoesarethedominantcropgrowninthecommunity,itwasservedinalmosteverymeal.Asidefromthepotatoes,riceandpastawereoftenconsumedforlunchanddinner.Thedifferentkindofmeatswerealsopreparedfordinner,including
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chicken,alpaca,llamaandlambmeat.Accordingtothechildren,themostcommonmeatsconsumedwerelambandllama,whilepigsandguineapigsaresaidtobealsoconsumedbutaremostlyreservedforspecialoccasions.Ingeneral,foodismostoftenservedintheformofasouporstew.Itisoftenmadewithvegetables,(potatoes,carrots,greenpeas,onionetc.)andmeat(chicken,llama,sheepweremostcommon).Atthesametime,itisworthmentioningthattheparticipanthasonlyconsumedteaforlunchonMondayandTuesday.Reality of food environment in the community ThebenefitofPhotovoiceisthattheperspectiveofchildrenoffersusvaluableinsighttoillustratetherealityoffoodoptionsinthecommunity.Forexample,thefollowingphotosrepresentguineapigcultureinCuncani.
FIGUREIV
FIGUREIVtellstherelationsbetweentheAndeancultureandguineapigs.InCuncani,peopletreatsguineapigasavaluablefoodsource.Thestudentwhohastakenthisphotoexplains…
Theseareguineapigsthatweraiseinourhouse.Idon’trememberhowmanytherearebuttherearemanyguineapigs.Thereareeatingpastures.Ieatguineapigsonmybirthday,ormyfamily’sbirthday.Ireallylikeit.Itisverydelicious!
GuineapigsareconsideredafeastinInca’sculture,andareonlymeanttobeservedinceremonialoccasions.Interviewswiththestudentsrevealedthatalmosteveryfamilyinthecommunityownstheirguineapigsintheirhouseanditisoftensharedbetweencommunitymembersinthespecialcasesofbirthdays,localcelebrationsorweddings.Anotherstoryfromtheparticipantshasgivenmoreinformationaboutpotatoharvesting.Throughthephoto,heexplains…
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FIGUREV
Iamhelpingmyfathercultivateourland.Thisisforthepotatoharvest.Wedigholesinthelandandplantpotatoseedsafterwards.Wealwaysdoitinthisseason(November)andharvestpotatoesnextyear.Afterharvestingpotatoes,weeatorsellthematthemarket.Infact,weeatpotatoeseveryday.Also,thisphotowastakenbymylittlesister(6years-old).
PotatocultivationintheAndesculturehasbeeninheritedfromtheperiodoftheInkas.Thisstoryprovidesmoreinsightintheirreal-lifeexperienceandhowfoodiscollectedintheircommunity.Accordingtothelocalfamilies,therearealmost100differentvarietiesofpotatoesharvestedintheircommunity.LandcultivationandplantingseasonisfromSeptembertoNovember.Harvestedpotatoesareeatenthroughouttheyear,servingasastaplefooditemforfamiliesinCuncani.Thesearenotphotosoffoodthattheyeatbutrathertheytellastoryoftheirrelationshipwiththefoodenvironment.Throughvoicingtheirviewsandreflectingtheirlifestyle,Photovoicesuccessfullyprovidesparticipantswithspacetorevisittheirlifeexperience.
II) Facilitate public dialogue and knowledge of communities’ social issues. Lack of Food Variety Oneofmostoutstandingfindingsfromourquantitativedataanalysisisalimitedvarietyofingredientsshownintheirpictures.Among105photosoffood(TABLEII),wecouldonlyidentify16differentingredients(TABLEIII&GRAPHI).Itisworthnotingthisconclusionregardingingredientsisbasedonthecapturedphotos,descriptionsandexplanationsgivenbytheparticipants.Otheringredientsmaybeusedinfoodpreparation.ItshouldalsobesaidthatonelimitationsofusingPhotovoiceisrelyingon
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personaljudgement,whichmayinterferewiththeperceptionoftherealityofpeople’slives.Nonetheless,eventhoughitdoesnotpromiseaperfectindicationabouttheirlife,itstillprovidessomeusefulinsightreflectingtheirrealityofeatinghabits.Therefore,theindicatedinformationsuggestsasignificantlylimitedvarietyoffoodinthecommunity(consideringeightstudentshavetakenphotosforaweek).Theoutcomeofvarietyinthecommunitygiveimplicationstotheexistenceofmalnutritioninthecommunity.
TABLEII5 A B C D E F G H Total
Picturestaken 44 32 31 31 47 66 49 96 396Picturesoffood 10 23 13 13 9 7 7 23 105Picturesselectedforfoodjournals
19 1 16 16 11 6 0 18 87
TABLEIII6
Ingredients A B C D E F G H TotalPotatoes 6 0 12 6 2 1 1 4 32Tea 5 1 7 4 2 2 3 6 30Carrots 3 2 8 7 2 2 3 2 29Rice 6 4 6 2 1 3 1 4 27Soup 5 2 10 8 0 0 1 0 26Meat 3 5 4 6 3 2 0 2 25Pasta 2 2 0 2 0 2 1 4 13Greenvegetable 2 2 3 4 0 0 1 0 12Egg 0 3 1 0 1 3 1 2 11Fruit 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 3 7Tomato 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 6Lentils 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 4Onion 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 4Corn 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3Bread 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2Cheese 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
GRAPHI7
5Theeightparticipantshavetakenintotalof396photos.Amongsttotalphotos,105haveshownthepictureoffood.Besidesthepicturesoffood,studentshavetakenpicturesoftheircommunity,friends,animalsandotherthingsthathaveinterestedthem(TABLEI)6TABLEIIcategorizethefrequencyoffoodappearsonthephotos.Thisdataissolelybasedontheinterviews(descriptionandexplanationoftheirmeals)bytheparticipantsandourobservation.Wemusttakeintoaccountthattherearenon-mentionedingredientsthatcannotbeseenthroughphotos.Althoughitmaybenotreflectingthetruerealityofthefrequencyoffoodconsumedbytheparticipants,itprovidesthemeaningfulinsighttotheirreality.7VisualizedgraphofTABLEII
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Asthedatashows,thereisalimitedvarietyoffoodingredientsobserved.Forexample,FigureI(below)isaphotoofoneoftheparticipant’sfavoritemeal.Shementionedthatamongallmeals,herfavoritewasdefinitivelythericeandmeatsoup.
FIGUREI
Thisisasoupmadeofpotatoes,ricemeat,andvegetables.Thepotatoesarefromourland.Also,themeatisfromthesheepthatweraise.I’vetakenthis
photoathome.Thiswasthedinner.Ittastesdelicious.Whenthefacilitatoraskedwheretheingredientscomefrom,theparticipantreplied…
Potatoesarefromourland,andthemeatisalsofromoursheep.ButthericeandvegetablesareboughtfromLares(aneighboringvillageaboutanhourawaybywalk).WeusuallybuymostofthestufffromLaresbecausewecannotgrow
themhere(Cuncani).Lackofvarietyoffoodisalsoshownintheotherphototakenbydifferentparticipant.Sometimesthefoodcanbeveryplainwithjustriceandmeat.
05
101520253035
INGREDIENTSFREQUENCY
H
G
F
E
D
C
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FIGUREII
Thisisriceandsheepmeat.Imadeitatmyhouse.
Thestorytoldbythechildwhotookthisphotowasveryshortandbrief,onlydescribingwhatthefoodisandwhereshemadeit.Nonetheless,itshowsthattherearenovegetablesinhermeal.Indeed,amongstallthefoodphotosshetook,therewereonlytwopictureswithvegetablesinhermeal. Limited Food Access Limitedaccesstofoodmayderivefromitsdifficultgeographicalconditions.AgricultureisadominantactivityamongthemanyfamiliesinCuncani.Eachhouseholdcultivatestheirlandandharvestcrops.However,duetothehighaltitudeandextremeweather,opportunitiesforvarietyinagricultureissignificantlyinhibitedandismostlylimitedtopotatoesandsomeherbs.Also,despitethefrequencyofcarrotappearancesinthephotoswererelativelyhigh,theproportionofcarrotineachdishisverylow.
Abovephotosoffruitsleadtheconversationtothinkaboutthecommunity’sproblemofaccesstofood.Asdescribedinthepreviousstoryofoneparticipant,themajorityofvegetablesandfruitareonlyaccessiblefromLares.Thecoldweatherandaltitudedonot
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allowfamiliesinthecommunitytoharvestfruitintheregion.Fruitisjustanexampleofseveralfooditemsnotfoundinthecommunity.
Ilikefruits.WebuyfruitsfromLareseveryMondayonthemarketdays.Mymomalwaysgotothemarketandbuyallthefoodforweek.
Combiningtheresultoffamilyinterviewin20158,thestoriesbehindthefoodjournalscrystalizethesocialdifficultiesofthefamilieswithaccesstothemarket.Asaresult,therearetwomajorobstacles:limitedharvestandmarketaccess.Itshighaltitudeanditsweathersignificantlylimitstheirharvesttoonlypotatoesandsomeherbs.Meanwhile,itsextraordinaryconditioninthehighlandandisolatedgeographylessentheopportunitiestomarketaccess.
III) Share information with community and reach key-policy makers to bring social change
New Lunch Program TheresultoftheresearchprovidedNCwithdeeperunderstandingandinsighttowardsthecommunity’scurrentfoodenvironmentandcircumstances.Combinedproblemofaccesstofoodandlimitedmarketcanbetiedtoalackofnutritiousfoodamongchildrenandleadtomorecasesofmalnutrition.Respondingtothemalnutritionproblem,PhotovoiceanalysisservedasoneofthereasonsforNCtorelaunchourpreviousschoollunchprogramundertheumbrellaofnewhealthpromotionPOWERLunchprogram.Tothisday,wearesuccessfullycarryingoutPOWERLunchwhichisexpandedtoalunchprogram(serving5healthymealsduringschooldaysthroughouttheyear),ahealtheducationprogram(monthlyworkshopsinrelationwithimportanthealthissues),andusingPhotovoiceasatooltomonitorandevaluatetheproject.
Conclusion
8 2015 report NC
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What’s Next? ThenewlunchprogramisjustthestartingphaseofPhotovoiceinrealizingsocialchangeinthecommunity.Althoughithasyettoreachotherkey-stakeholders(suchastheparent’sassociation,thecommunitydirectoryboard,andthemunicipalgovernment)withinthecommunitysocialdynamics,werecognizegreatpossibilitytofurtherdevelopaPhotovoicemethodologytoenlargethepositivesocialimpactforthecommunity.OurnextplanistocontinuewithourefforttousePhotovoiceinourPOWERLunchProgram.Thepurposeofthestudyistoreplicatethepreviousgoalandrevealtheissuessurroundingtheireatinghabitsandfoodenvironment.Thistime,notonlylimitedtotheireatingattheirhouse,weaimtocapturecommunity’svoice/perspectivestowardsourlunchprogram.Searchingthequestionsof“howdochildrenperceivetheprogram?”willnotonlyundercoverthefoodenvironmentbutalsoserveasvitalmonitoringandevaluationtoolforourprogram.Furthermore,wehopetoextendPhotovoicedesigntoincludeparents’voicesaswell.Thelunchprogramissupportedbythreegroups:NC,thelocalschoolandtheparent’sassociation.NCorganizesthelunchingredientsfortheentireschoolyearandthelocalschoolisresponsibleforproperlystoringtheallocationoffoodingredients.Theparentstaketheroleofvisitingschooltopreparelunchandprovidetostudentduringschooldays.Asparentstakepartintheprogram,thereisanincreaseinstakeholdersinvolvedintheproject.WehavelearnedthatthePhotovoiceapproachrequiressubstantialtimeandeffort,especiallyinacommunitysuchasCuncaniwherecommunicationislimitedandcultureisdistinctfromours.Wehavefacedaseriesofchallengestoreachwherewearenow.WhilewearegenuinelycontentwithPhotovoice,therearemuchmoredetailstobesorted..Forexample,wehaveyettodeterminethebestpossiblemethodoffoodstorageandtimelymealpreparation.Discoveringtheentirefoodchainwillprovidefurthercluestoholisticallyidentifyingrootcausesofmalnutrition.ThePhotovoicehasproventobeaninnovativeandusefultoolinplantingtheseedforthesocialchangewithsincererespectforthecommunityinvolvement.WehopetoseethatthepowerofPhotovoicepermitscommunitymemberstopossessfurtherauthoritytoadvocateforabetterfoodenvironmentandcombatmalnutritioninthefuture.NClooksforwardtosharingourexperienceandknowledgetootherswhomaybeinterestedincommunity-basedresearchprojectsthatfurtherempowermarginalizedgroupofpeople.
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BibliographyNexosComunitarios.AccessedJune04,2018.http://www.nexos.org.pe/.Wang,C.C.,&Burris,M.(1997).Photovoice:Concept,methodology,anduseofparticipatoryneedsassessment.HealthEducationandBehavior,24,369-387.